Hemet, CA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Hemet does not publish a local ordinance banning or specially permitting residential rainwater catchment, and nothing in the City's water-conservation materials discourages it. Under California's Rainwater Capture Act (Water Code provisions enacted by AB 1750, 2012), residents and businesses may install rain barrels and rooftop rainwater-capture systems to use captured rainwater on their own property for landscape and other non-potable uses without obtaining a State Water Resources Control Board water-right permit. Simple gravity-fed rain barrels generally require no permit; larger cisterns, pumped systems, or any system plumbed into the building can trigger California Plumbing Code and local building-permit review through Hemet's Building Division. Because the City of Hemet relies entirely on local groundwater pumped from nine city wells, on-site rainwater capture aligns with the City's conservation goals by reducing potable irrigation demand under its Water Conservation Plan. Greywater reuse (laundry-to-landscape and similar systems) is governed by California Plumbing Code Chapter 16; a simple single-fixture laundry-to-landscape system is exempt from a construction permit statewide, while more complex greywater systems require a plumbing permit from the City. Residents should confirm setback, overflow, and mosquito-control details with the Building Division before installing larger tanks.